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Friday federal headlines - September 20, 2013

Friday - 9/20/2013, 10:18am EDT

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal
Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp discuss throughout the show each day. The
Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the
stories you hear on the air.

The company that investigated NSA leaker Edward Snowden for his security
clearance in 2011 admits it did the background check on Navy Yard shooter Aaron
Alexis in 2007. USIS revised an earlier statement denying it had done so. But it
says its contract with the Office of Personnel Management prohibits it from
commenting further. USIS already is under criminal investigation. The details of
the case have been kept under wraps. The Falls Church firm dominates the
background check market. Lawmakers say that proves the system needs an overhaul.
(Associated Press)

Unions representing first responders to the Navy Yard shootings say the were
hampered by failures of their
radios. Federal Times reports, the radios are unable to transmit
through building walls. Gregory Russel, president of a D.C. civilian local, says
the battalion fire chief had to send a runner outside to transmit commands.
Anthony Meely, head of a Naval District police union, tells The Hill the same
thing. He says police officers had to use cell phones when radios failed inside
buildings. In some cases the radios' batteries died. Both union officials say the
problem dates back years. (Federal Times)

Wrangling on Capitol Hill continues as the days count down to the end of the
fiscal year. The House prepares a bill that funds the government but defunds the Affordable Care Act. The
Senate is preparing its response. Federal Times reports, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
says he's willing to use any trick, including a filibuster, to defund ObamaCare.
But he irritates House counterparts by saying it's basically their fight. The Hill
reports, Majority Leader Harry Reid has a plan to move the House bill, but use a
Senate procedure to remove the defunding amendment. That would avoid a government
shutdown. And it would allow Republicans to avoid voting against defunding
ObamaCare. (Associated Press)

New FBI director James Comey confirms he is considering furloughing agents for 10
days or more if the steep budget cuts continue. Comey spoke with reporters at FBI
headquarters for the first time since taking office. Reuters reports the FBI has
already stopped training new agents in Quantico because the Bureau doesn't have
the money. Comey says the FBI is turning the couch upside down to look for spare
change. He would not name specific areas of the FBI that would be most hurt by
more cuts. (Reuters)

Prodded by the House Armed Services Committee chairman, the military service
chiefs detailed how another year of sequestration would affect them.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Ordierno says the Army would shrink from a wartime
high of more than 1 million troops to less 500,000, including National Guard and
Reserves. Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, says only one
carrier group and one amphibious would be ready to deploy quickly should a surge
be required. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh says whole fleets of planes
would be divested, and training time reduced by 15 percent. (Defense
Department)

Performance bonuses may be out of the question. But federal executives need
more than a pat on the back. That message comes from the Senior Executives Association. It is calling on the White
House to recognize a job well done in other ways now that Presidential Rank Awards
have been canceled. It has some ideas: The president could pose for photo ops with
awardees or send them signed certificates. The Office of Personnel Management
could publish their names and let agencies hold their own ceremonies. And the
White House could promise to reinstate the Presidential Rank Awards when
sequestration ends. The group warns more career executives are retiring, and
others don't want to take their places. (Senior Executives Association)

The new iPhone 5S ships today, and already there's a bounty out
for hackers who can foil is fingerprint security system. Forbes reports,
security researchers Nick Depetrillo and David Graham are crowdfunding the reward
for whoever can show they lifted a fingerprint from any surface, reproduced it and
used it to unlock the owner's iPhone. So far, their website has raised $2,500.
Also offered are $500 in bitcoin, a bottle of tequila and a dirty sex book.
Depetrillo and Graham say they think Apple has advanced the art of fingerprint
readers. They say they don't expect anyone to be able to hack it. (Forbes)

A major cybersecurity provider is warning customers about one of its popular
products, for fear that the National Security
Agency can hack into it. Reuters reports the company, RSA, sent an email to
developer clients. It says one of its tool kits has a default random-number
generator that uses a formula developed by the NSA. The warning follows a New York
Times story that revealed the NSA pressed the National Institute of Standards and
Technology back in 2006 to include its algorithm in voluntary cryptography
standards. NIST is reconsidering those standards. (Reuters)

The Pentagon's top communicator, Press Secretary George Little, has taken the
rare step of suspending a military task force's Twitter account. Little explained his
move on Twitter. He posted a tweet saying the Joint IED Defeat Organization made
inappropriate and offensive tweets that he calls "plainly unacceptable." JIEDDO
had used its account to make light of bombings Monday at a movie theater in the
Philippines. JIEDDO was created in 2006 as a specialized unit to combat roadside
bombs. Since then, officials have discussed restructuring or disbanding it.
(Wall Street Journal)

The Thrift Investment Board is falling in behind the IRS and the Office of
Personnel Management in recognizing same-sex marriages. The Board administers the
Thrift Savings Plan. GovExec reports, it's revising its rules to give spousal
rights to gay federal employees as long as they were married in a state
with legalized gay marriage. The Board will judge marital status of TSP members
based on what it calls jurisdiction of celebration. The interim rule goes into
effect today. It's open for comments until Oct. 20. (GovExec)